


iride tigris simia

by ishougen



Category: Geek & Sundry
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-18
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2017-12-29 18:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1008468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishougen/pseuds/ishougen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which love blooms, alcohol reigns, and twerking proves to be the best mating call for tigermonkeys everywhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. skinny

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is really weird but NEIL AND TIGERMONKEY SAID IT WAS OKAY SO THERE. (ps. It's 1:00am and I haven't beta'ed it at all so please forgive any mistakes. more chapters to come)

“ _You’re_ challenging _me_ to a thumb wrestling match?”

Under normal circumstances, Neil would have laughed at Tigermonkey’s incredulity. However, these circumstances were definitely not normal – okay, well, maybe they were normal for him, since he led a pretty interesting life, but that wasn’t the point.

Somehow, the “Mitch Hutts quality control aka taste-testing party” at the Geek & Sundry offices had resulted in Neil ingesting a rather large amount of alcohol (unsurprising), challenging the one, the only, James ‘Tigermonkey’ Isaacs to a thumb wrestling match (somewhat surprising), and managing to hang on for a full five seconds before being soundly trounced by the reigning champion (quite surprising).

The match was over before it began, really: Neil’s desperate, fumbling attempts at victory were admirable, but in the end Tigermonkey came out on top. Neil wouldn’t have minded it all that much, except for the bet he had made (or, rather, the bet that Becca had made on his behalf).

“Come on, then,” Tigermonkey laughed, grinning from ear to ear, “clothes off, twerking time!”

The rest of the room joined in with loud whoops and cries of encouragement, most noticeably from Becca, Kiri, and Nika, while Amy hid her face and giggled uncontrollably. After just a moment of hesitation, Neil let out a sigh of defeat and did as he was told. The shirt came off first, then the pants, and before you could say “Miley Cyrus” he was doing what he did best. Someone – probably Becca – put on a Beyoncé song, and soon enough half of the group was up and dancing along with him.

When the song ended they all sat down again, laughing and breathless; but when Neil looked over at Tigermonkey, he noticed that the other man wasn’t grinning quite as widely as he had been before the impromptu dance party. He looked kind of distracted, and his cheeks were oddly flushed, but Neil figured it was just the alcohol. Still, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at Tigermonkey every now and then, wondering what could have caused him to look like that.

When the time came to head back to the hotel, Neil found himself stumbling just a bit. Mitch’s drinks were more powerful than they looked; if Neil had been a bit more sober, he’d have made a devastatingly witty geek-related pun, but as it was he had barely managed to put his shirt on properly. In fact, he was having some trouble navigating the shoe-crowded entryway. He was just about to ask Becca for help when Tigermonkey appeared, that strange look hidden by a small smile.

“Do you need help getting back?”

Not trusting his mouth, Neil simply nodded and allowed himself to be led out. The others straggled behind, some helping with the cleanup, some simply chatting. Before Neil could comprehend it he was outside, the cool night breeze ruffling his hair. It was only then that he realized Tigermonkey had wrapped an arm around his, ostensibly to make sure Neil wouldn’t fall over. He was warm, and Neil could sense a hidden sort of strength beneath the light fabric of Tigermonkey’s jacket. It was comforting, and as they walked he found himself leaning against Tigermonkey ever so slightly.

The hotel was farther than Neil remembered; either that, or he was walking much more slowly than usual. His eyelids began to droop a little, and perhaps he leaned a little too heavily on Tigermonkey because the thumb wrestler said softly, “Let’s take a break, yeah? There’s a bench over here.”

Neil was glad for his friend’s gentle movements, and he allowed his own body to be guided onto the bench. Without thinking about it he rested his head on Tigermonkey’s shoulder, a sleepy smile spreading across his face.

“Thanks for helping me,” he mumbled, shifting just a bit to get more comfortable.

Tigermonkey smiled down at him, but he was oddly quiet. It made guilt churn in Neil’s stomach, and he added hastily, “’m sorry if ‘m too much trouble...”

His friend shook his head quickly, cutting him off. It looked as though he was struggling with something internally, which only increased Neil’s anxiety. Then, suddenly, he spoke, his voice barely audible.

“You’re not – you’re not too much trouble.” Tigermonkey smiled again, but it was tight, strained, as if it had been cut off by a multitude of other thoughts.

They were quiet again for a moment, the only sound that of the leaves rustling, their breath coming in soft puffs which appeared like white fog and dissipated within seconds. The clouds of their exhalation mixed together, and it was in that moment that Neil realized just how close their faces were to one another. Warmth blossomed in his cheeks and he blinked once, twice, feeling a palpable tension in the air they were sharing.

“James-?” The name left his lips like a butterfly, tremulous and delicate, carrying with it an unspoken question.

Tigermonkey was still for a long time. Then the light in his eyes changed subtly, as though he had settled on a singular resolution, and without a word he tilted his head down ever so slightly to press his mouth to Neil’s.

It was barely a kiss: their skin brushed together for only a second before Tigermonkey had pulled back, anxiety clouding his face. It was easy to see that he was afraid of overstepping some boundary, of taking advantage of his drunken friend, and for some reason that made Neil break out giggling. He did his best to muffle the sounds by pressing his face against Tigermonkey’s shoulder, but his body was shaking with a mirth he could not stop.

“What – are you laughing at me?” Tigermonkey blinked, looking affronted.

“No – ” Neil looked up, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he grinned. “It’s just – you looked so cute – ”

Tigermonkey’s expression shifted then, and even in the dark Neil could see the pink in his cheeks. “You think I’m cute?”

“Well... yeah, cause you are.” The words left Neil before he had consciously thought of them. He’d never really thought about it before, but reflecting on it now, it seemed to be true enough. He’d always liked the way Tigermonkey smiled: slow, languid, a bit like a three-toed sloth. He only smiled when he was sincerely amused, and Neil liked that about him.

“Well.” The champion cleared his throat quietly, and when he looked at Neil again there was a hint of hope hiding behind his expression. “I – I think you’re cute too, Neil.”

Neil’s response was immediate and instinctive. “That’s cause I am.” He would have thrown in a Z-snap, if his arms weren’t so tired. He could feel Tigermonkey’s soft chuckle more than he could hear it, and it made his own heart feel bigger, somehow.

They were quiet, and then Neil decided to reach up and press a kiss of his own to Tigermonkey’s slightly-stubbled cheek. He had to hold back another laugh when he saw the other man’s eyes widen in response.

“So,” said Neil, reaching out to thread his fingers through Tigermonkey’s, “do you wanna be cute together, maybe?”

Tigermonkey smiled, and though it was slow it was filled with an honest happiness which Neil had rarely seen before. “Yeah.” He squeezed Neil’s hand and nodded slightly. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

Then he kissed Neil again, for just a second longer, their breath intermingling in the cool autumn air.


	2. be still my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to believe how far this silly little story has come in the last couple of months. Neil & Tigermonkey have read this! The other G&S vloggers have seen it! I even made a fanmix (located here: http://8tracks.com/ishougen/iride-tigris-simia) that corresponds roughly to each chapter! Needless to say I'm incredibly excited to write the rest of this story - I have a lot planned out. For now, enjoy a chapter filled with Becca, beds, and boys!

When Neil awoke the next morning, he had just enough time to realize he was in bed in his hotel room before two sensations simultaneously assaulted him. The first was a distinct throbbing inside his skull, just behind his eyes; the second was that of the heavy blanket on top of him being tugged away ever so gently. Thoughts of the previous evening returned to him in a flash and his heart suddenly began to pound. He remembered kissing Tigermonkey, and then coming back to the hotel, and then – no, it was all a blur. Slowly, almost fearfully, he shifted beneath the covers and turned to see...

“Becca?”

She looked down at him, her doe-like eyes blinking in a measured rhythm. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.”

Neil’s eyebrows knit together as his sleep-fogged brain did its best to catch up. It was indeed Becca, not Tigermonkey, sitting next to him on the bed. The blanket was trapped beneath her, hence the tugging; she was in her pyjamas and was playing what appeared to be the newest Pokémon game. Neil opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a raspy, confused sound.

Becca put her 3DS down on the nightstand and picked up a bottle of water. Holding it out to Neil, she explained calmly, “Tigermonkey texted me last night saying he was worried about you getting sick, so I came over.”

Neil took the water absentmindedly and, still staring up at Becca, said, “He – he did?” Faintly, he wondered why Tigermonkey hadn’t stayed himself, and anxiety began to cloud his thoughts.

“Yeah.” Becca reached over to the nightstand again, but this time her hand returned with a small, folded piece of paper. “He left you a note. I think he was worried your phone might be dead.”

Neil frowned and sat up, groaning a little at the increased intensity of his headache. He took the note, unfolded it, and, pointedly ignoring Becca’s stare, squinted down at the scribbled words.

_Hey Neil, I hope you’re feeling alright. I asked Becca to make sure you were okay – you passed out by the time we got to your room, and I didn’t want to bother you or anything._

Neil let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Becca made a noise of inquiry, but he ignored it and kept reading.

_Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing, so maybe text me later? Or I can text you or something. Talk to you soon. – Brent_

At the very bottom of the note, there was what appeared to be a PS – but it had been scratched out and was now illegible. Neil sat back, still frowning a little, mulling over this new development. It wasn’t until he felt Becca staring at him that he remembered she was there.

“Anything you wanna talk about?” she asked, her voice neutral as ever but a curious spark lighting up her eyes. Neil had seen that look before; it was the one she got whenever she sensed a secret hiding away in the depths of someone’s heart. Usually it heralded a long discussion, many used tissues, and a generally increased sense of purpose and wellbeing in whomever it was directed towards. But today – well, today Neil didn’t quite feel like talking about it.

“Maybe later?” he replied, giving her a distracted smile. “I should shower and get dressed and everything.” Noticing the slight shadow of concern that passed over his friend’s face, he added quickly, “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Becca was silent for a long moment, her eyebrows raised in a detached, thoughtful manner; then she nodded and slid off of the bed, stretching a little. After turning off her 3DS, she reached over to ruffle Neil’s hair and gave him a last, warm smile. “I’m just down the hall.”

Neil watched as she made her way to the door, reaching up to wave as she looked back at him - but, just before she left, Becca gave him a meaningful look and said, “Tigermonkey’s around too, y’know.” And with that the door shut and she was gone, leaving Neil alone with his thoughts and his note.

Looking down at the creased piece of paper, Neil sighed quietly and reached up to run a hand through his hair. Why had part of Tigermonkey’s message been scribbled out? Was it just a spelling error or something? Neil peered at the note curiously. The ink marks were placed too precisely to cover up a mere mistake; it was as though Tigermonkey had written something and then tried to cover it over completely, so no one could see what the words were. No matter how hard he tried, Neil couldn’t decipher it.

The sudden sound of his ringtone – currently graced by Beyoncé’s angelic vocals – made him jump slightly. He took a breath before reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing his phone, perhaps a little too tightly. Neil felt his heart do a strange little twerking motion in his chest when he  saw Tigermonkey’s half-lidded eyes and lazy smile on the caller display, but he steeled himself and raised the phone to his ear.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked, doing his best to sound cool rather than nervous. As soon as he heard Tigermonkey’s voice, however, he could tell the other man was doing the exact same thing.

“Hey,” came the reply, ever so slightly hesitant, “I just wanted to see how you were doing. Last night was – uh – ” He paused, filling the air with a silence that Neil was compelled to fill.

“I’m good. Great.” There was another pause, and though they weren’t even in the same room Neil could feel the tension surrounding them, running like electric wire just beneath his skin. The silence stretched on and then, suddenly, they both began to speak at the same time.

“So I was wondering – ”

“I was thinking – ”

A bubble of laughter echoed in their ears and Neil felt himself relax a little. “You go first.”

Tigermonkey hesitated, and when he spoke again Neil could practically see the thumbwrestler’s eyes darting around the room the way they did when he was nervous. “Well, I was just wondering if – y’know, if you’re not busy or anything – if you’d maybe want to, like, go out? Tonight?”

That strange sensation filled Neil’s chest again, and perhaps that was why he sounded ever so slightly breathless when he replied, “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Oh.” There was the tiniest laugh of relief, and then Tigermonkey’s voice returned, sounding far more cheerful than before. “Awesome. Do you maybe want to get food? Like, dinner? We don’t have to though,” he added hastily, but Neil was already chuckling to himself and nodding.

“Dinner sounds great. Meet me in the lobby around five?”

“Sure.” Neil could practically hear Tigermonkey’s smile. “See you at five.”

“See you.” Neil paused for the briefest of moments, trying to figure out what else he should say, but then there was a click and the line went dead; Tigermonkey had hung up. Neil did the same, then fell back against the pillows and let out a loud sigh.

A date with Tigermonkey. Five o’clock. Dinner. It was all so simple, so clean, yet Neil felt as though it couldn’t be any more complicated. There were a million emotions running rampant in his chest and just as many thoughts clouding his brain. And yet...

He touched the tips of his fingers to his lips and closed his eyes, remembering how it had felt to be kissed by Tigermonkey. Amidst all the confusion, there was one thing he knew for sure: he wanted to feel that way again.

So he sat up, slid off of the bed, and headed towards the bathroom. He needed to get ready.

 

 

 


End file.
